Chasing Daisy

handing one to each of us girls.
    ‘No, thank you,’ I say, fingering the stem of my wine glass. I still have a few sips of Shiraz in there somewhere.
    ‘Don’t waste it,’ Luis states.
    ‘I’ll drink yours, Daisy,’ Holly offers, so I push it across the table to her.
    ‘There’s plenty to go around.’ Luis pushes the glass back in my direction and turns to Alberta.
    I give him a look of such distaste that he must surely feel my eyes branding the back of his skull, then I inadvertently glance down and am greeted with the sight of Alberta sliding her hand in the direction of Luis’s crotch. Dirty cow! I look at Holly in shock. A split second later I hear the sound of a chair scraping on the pavement and turn back to see Luis standing up.
    ‘Where are you going?’ Alberta asks, her brow furrowed with annoyance.
    ‘The men’s room,’ Luis tells her.
    ‘I wouldn’t mind going, too,’ she says silkily, making me feel as invisible as that fly in my drink.
    ‘I need a piss ,’ Luis says firmly, putting to a halt whatever naughty things Alberta had planned for their cubicle excursion. She slumps back in her seat and watches his departing backside.
    ‘Have you been to a Grand Prix before?’ Holly tactfully changes the subject.
    ‘Of course,’ Alberta answers dismissively.
    ‘Do you enjoy the racing?’
    ‘That’s not what I’m here for.’
    ‘Oh. What are you here for?’
    ‘The fun! The glamour!’ She casts her arms around her in an extravagant manner.
    Glamour? I decide against pointing out the wasted youth who has just vomited on the kerb.
    She takes a huge mouthful of champagne and reaches for the bottle.
    ‘Let me do that for you,’ Holly offers, making use of her hospitality skills. Alberta takes the refilled glass without so much as a thank you and sits back in her seat, crossing her legs so her mini skirt rides even further up her thighs.
    I look away, bored and unable to play the game like my friend, and see Luis emerge from the pub doors. Alberta sits back up in her seat, but is visibly deflated when Luis stops to chat to the lads. I know how she feels. I’d give anything to be able to gossip freely with Holly instead of watching my words in front of this beacon of bitchiness.
    ‘Have you been Catalina’s cousin for long?’ Holly asks, in all innocence.
    I look at her and crack up with laughter. She realises what she’s said and joins me in hysterics.
    ‘I’ve had too much to drink!’ she squeals, lifting up her champagne glass in one hand and her beer glass in the other.
    Alberta glares at us both before standing up, plucking the champagne bottle out of the ice bucket and going to join Luis.
    ‘Come on, Holly, please can we go somewhere else, now?’
    ‘Yeah, okay,’ she agrees, knocking back first her beer, followed by her champagne and then rising to her feet.
    We wind our way out towards the pavement, squeezing past the revellers already swarming to occupy our recently vacated chairs.
    ‘We’re off! See ya, lads!’ Holly calls to the group of mechanics.
    ‘Lightweights!’ Pete shouts.
    ‘We’re not going back to the hotel, we’re going partying, you pussy!’ Holly shouts, and I pull on her arm, laughingly trying to ignore Luis’s dark-eyed stare as we back away from the crowd.

 
Chapter 2
     
    ‘I feel like a porcupine has rolled onto my eyelids,’ Holly moans.
    ‘I feel like a porcupine has lifted up my eyelid and stuck one of his spiky pine things into my retina,’ I reply.
    ‘I feel like a porcupine has lifted one of my eyelids and scraped five of his SPINES, I think you’ll find they’re called, into my—’
    ‘Girls!’ Frederick barks.
    We abruptly fall silent. The pain is worth it – we had such a laugh last night. We bumped into a couple of girls who work in hospitality for another team and they talked us into going on the rickety little rollercoaster in Luna Park, St Kilda’s oceanfront amusement park. It was seriously scary – I thought we were going to come off the rails – but damn, it was funny. Then they wanted to go to the beach to go night swimming, but Holly and I thought we’d better get to bed as we were only going to get three hours’ sleep as it was.
    Right now it’s the ludicrous time of five a.m. and we’re already at the track prepping food for the day’s menu. Holly’s mixing muesli with a variety of fruit and nuts, while I’m trimming bacon fat. I told you I always get the crappiest jobs.
    ‘I wonder how Luis